how the qur'an was revealed
Qur'anic revelation, according to the Qur'an itself, is an utterance
on behalf of God to His Prophet; the Prophet received the speech of God
with all his being, not just by way of learning. In XLII:5 1-52 God says,
And it was not to be for any man that God should speak to him unless
(it be) by revelation or from behind a veil or (that) we send a messenger
to reveal what He will by His leave. Truly He is exalted, wise. And thus
We hare inspired in you (Muhammad) a spirit of Our Command. You did not
know what the Book, nor what the Faith was. But We have made it a light
whereby We guide whom We will of our slaves. And truly you surely guide
to a right path.
On comparison of these two verses we discover three different ways of
divine utterance. Firstly, God speaks without there being any veil between
Him and man. Secondly, God speaks from behind a veil: like the tree on
the Tur mountain from behind which Moses heard God speaking. Thirdly, God's
speech is brought to man by an angel who had previously heard the revelation
from him.
The second of the two verses above show that the Qur'an has reached
us by means of the third of three possible ways. Again God says in XXVI:
192-5, "(A revelation) which the Faithful Spirit (Gabriel) has brought
down upon your heart, that you may be (one) of the warners, in plain Arabic
speech," and in chapter ii:97 "Who is an enemy to Gabriel!
for it is he who has revealed (this book) to your heart." 1
From these verses we understand that the Qur'an was transmitted by way
of an angel named gabriel, or the "faithful spirit"; and
that the Prophet received the revelation from him with all his being, all
his perception and not merely by listening. the verse says "on your
heart," which in Qur'anic terms means perception or awareness.
in liii: 10-11 we read, "And He revealed to His slave that which
he revealed. the heart did not lie (in seeing) what it saw;" and
in xcviii:2 reception of the revelation is indicated as a reading of "pure
pages" by god's messenger.
1 Because
both verses relate the descension of the Qur'an before the Holy Prophet. It
says, Upon their hearts and not their hearts and the
heart, in the usage of the Holy Qur'an is the soul because in several places,
understanding and awareness comes from the soul and is related to the heart.
xxxvi: 193-195.